


ultimatum

by denizencolours



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, F/F, Vault Hunter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 05:50:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15575142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/denizencolours/pseuds/denizencolours
Summary: there comes a point where deciding one over the other is impossible.





	ultimatum

**Author's Note:**

> Set between BLTPS and Tales, Janey and Athena are almost en route to Pandora to start their new life together. After the Vault job, Janey wants Athena to quit bounty hunting, but Athena can't just simply leave her old life behind.

Athena hesitated.

 

Routine had her take bounties aplenty without a second glance, but something about this one… No. It’s just like any other objective, there’s nothing to worry about. If she got hurt, there was Nina to tend to her and she would be sent off to her next mission. If it was a job like what Jack assigned her to do, she would have done it in a heartbeat. But there was a knot in her gut like a leech draining away her confidence in herself. She had to brush it away, this was not the time to deal with unease.

But she was wary regardless. Even with the Sentinel dead and the Vault cleared, there were moments of vulnerability that came to Athena. Like the uncertainty of her future; it harboured the anxiety of what was to come. It wasn’t long until she left Elpis with Janey so she had to make most of her time earning more funds for the move, there was no shortage in pleas for help.

With a short exhale, she dismissed the thought and uploaded the job to her ECHO with a brush of fingers across the bounty board. There was a sound file attached, probably some poor sod paraphrasing their life story for sympathy. _Yeah yeah, and she had two mouths to feed._ Giving the bounty board one last glance, Athena turned and trudged away. The drab surroundings had her hoping her time on Concordia was coming to a close, she would hardly give it a second chance.

Her footsteps approached Janey’s emporium and she ducked inside.

It was wrong to see how derelict the place was. A few boxes remained on the table and the Grinder laid back against the shop wall. Janey was seated atop the table, swinging her feet while she talked on her ECHO. Her gaze was fixed on the view of Pandora beyond the horizon, as if trying to pinpoint the locale of their new home. Making her way over, Athena rested her hand on the junk dealer’s. Looking up, she watched her lip curve upwards in response.

“… Mhm, yep. Good to see it all lining up pretty fast, we’re pretty keen. The change in scenery especially is gonna be the kicker.” She paused. “… No problem. Thanks a bunch Scooter, I really appreciate everything you’ve done to help.”

The conversation ended and Janey pulled Athena into a hug, sinking her face into her shoulder. She felt at home, taking in the faded smell of her girlfriend’s hair. She knew Athena was tired, the way her frame softening at her touch was so familiar. Janey reached up to brush her fingers through her hair.

“Three more days, then we’re outta here. It's all been sheer dumb luck," she mumbled. "Did you miss it much?"

"Not really. Everything here wants to kill you, Pandora is even more so. I’d be lucky to find a few comrades or friends nowadays.”

“But this is a new chapter in our lives! Perhaps you could make some friends for once instead of flashing your fancy sword around?”

Athena rolled her eyes. "How else am I going to get paid? Look, it is hard to make friends with people that scream about using numerous body parts or likes to torture for a living.”

Janey sat upright and sighed. She hated it but she was right, as harshly as she put it. Putting a hand on the dented metal of her pauldron, the junk dealer locked eyes with Athena.

"....I'm just concerned. A girl's allowed to be worried about her girlfriend," she began. "Ever since you came back from your last job with that Hyperion lackey, it made me realise how much danger you put yourself in. Like, even more than simple deliveries.”

Athena quirked a brow. "The Hyperion job was the reason I came to Elpis. I knew the risks and consequences and yet I still took it. You have to understand, you know this is my line of work. The sacrifices that Vault Hunters make." She sounded surprised.

"But it doesn't change the fact that I care about your wellbeing now! Vault Hunter or not, it's a concern of mine," Janey replied, a tone of urgency rising in her voice.

"And it didn't matter when you sent me out to risk me and the other Vault Hunter's lives before? We could have been killed," Athena said. It struck a bitter chord with her, her tone harrowed. "I'm concerned about how little you have faith in me. I'm capable of taking care of myself. I stand by my oath. The loyalty to the job above all else-"

"I know that! I know!" Janey butted in, her face strained with worry. "All this, us moving, starting again... Maybe I thought.. you could have a fresh start. Away from Vault Hunting and from danger. I just wasn't sure how to approach it."

Athena's lips pursed into a thin line, her irate expression dissolving into a blank stare. Her eyes gazed away from Janey's, her arms slack at her sides. Her words felt like a sting burrowing under her skin and she flinched with silence in response. No one had ever doubted her path. And she was quick to defend it, but Janey... she didn't _understand_. No one could ever comprehend what she had been through on Pandora, let alone what she had been through since childhood. Clenching her fists, Athena grit her teeth and stood up. She could feel Janey’s eyes watching her as she turned to the door.

 

“Athena-“

 

“I have to go. We can talk about this later.”


End file.
